Monty Bennett’s name will not appear on the ballot for the Tarrant Regional Water District board of directors yet he remains a powerful backstage player whose influence could shape the direction of the district’s business for years to come.

Chris Brassard and Omar Diaz had apartments in mind when they built a 12-unit complex on May Street just south of West Magnolia Avenue on Fort Worth’s Near Southside. Then their leasing agent, Will Northern of Northern Realty Group, suggested they consider selling the units as condominiums.

The Dallas-based airline burned about the same amount of fuel but paid 30 cents less per gallon than a year ago. That helped it save $138 million, or 9.2 percent, on fuel.

Meanwhile, the average fare on Southwest rose $8, or 5.4 percent, to $156.05 each way.

CEO Gary Kelly said traffic suffered early in the fourth quarter because of a partial shutdown of the federal government, but traffic and revenue rebounded in November and December, a trend that has carried over into January. Travel bookings are strong for the rest of the first quarter, he said.

Southwest predicted that revenue for every seat flown one mile — a key measure in the airline business called unit revenue — will be higher in the first quarter than it was in the same period last year.

Southwest, which also operates AirTran Airways, earned 30 cents per share in the fourth quarter, compared with 11 cents per share a year earlier.

Excluding special items, Southwest said it earned 33 cents per share. Analysts were expecting 29 cents per share, according to a FactSet survey. Revenue rose 6.1 percent to $4.43 billion, above analysts' forecast of $4.39 billion.

Southwest shares were up 43 cents, or 2 percent, to $22.20 in trading ahead of Thursday's opening bell. Through Wednesday, the shares had gained 90 percent in the past year. Investors have been drawn to airline stocks as the carriers have improved their financial performance, helped by stable fuel prices and nearly-full airplanes.

This is a key year at Southwest, which carries more passengers within the U.S. than any airline, but is smaller than American, United and Delta because it doesn't fly internationally. That is expected to change in 2014, as Southwest absorbs routes to the Caribbean and Latin America now operated by its AirTran affiliate.

Also, Southwest is poised to grow at its Dallas home this fall when a federal law limiting flights from Dallas Love Field expires. That law, passed in the 1970s, was designed to kill Southwest and protect nearby Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, a hub for American Airlines. Finally, Southwest looks to complete the job of folding AirTran into the Southwest brand.